Miracle on the Pan American Highway

           “Don’t panic.  I’m okay.  God is with me.”  These were the first words Sherri heard when Stan called her to say that he’d been in an accident and had hit a pedestrian.  Fear gripped her heart because the traffic laws in Ecuador are very severe and rigid.  If a car hits a person, the driver is always at fault and taken directly to jail.  We’ve known several people who have had their cars impounded and spent up to a week in jail before the courts settle the matter.  It is the country’s way of insuring that the guilty party will pay for all damages.  As she tried to pray, all she could utter was “God, I don’t understand.  I just don’t understand.”  Her mind filled with the thoughts of Stan in jail, missing his son’s 6^th grade graduation and camp-out, wondering if he would be out in time to fly to the States the next week.  Did he need money?  Food?  What was happening to him?  Meanwhile, God was performing miracles all around Stan.

            Stan was driving from Shell to Quito.  In addition to coming back for his son’s graduation, he was bringing Mike, a Work & Witness team member, back to Quito because he was very sick.  They were traveling the Pan American Highway when a young man stepped right in front of the van without looking.  Stan braked hard but couldn’t avoid hitting him.  He went flying in the air and eventually his body dropped about forty or fifty feet away.  Stan’s first thought was that the guy was probably dead.  “I’m going to jail.  But what will I do with Mike who speaks no Spanish?”

            Immediately, a crowd formed around the van.  Some were screaming and crying; others were talking excitably and pointing.  As Stan tried to pull off the highway, one woman got in front of the car thinking he was leaving.  Another man tried to take the keys out of the ignition.  Almost immediately, there were four policemen at the scene asking for his driver’s license and registration and asking questions of the people who witnessed the accident.  Praise the Lord, many of them said that the young man didn’t look but just ran out in front of the van.  In the meantime, the policemen picked up the man by his arms and feet, tossed him in the back of their pickup and took him to the hospital.

            Stan told Mike to put on the mask that the hospital given him and to start praying.  (He was given a mask in case he had swine flu.)  Meanwhile, Stan began to make calls to people who had connections with the police.  One friend works for the U.S. embassy.  He told Stan to be prepared to go to jail for some time.  Then a policeman told Stan to get out of the van because he was taking him to jail in the city of Latacunga.  Stan explained that he had a student who was very sick, who didn’t speak any Spanish and needed to go to Quito.  Stan also mentioned that his son’s 6^th grade graduation was tonight.  The policeman told Stan that he wouldn’t be going to that and that they would be impounding the van.  This was another problem as the plans were to return to Shell the next day with the van to pick up the team.

            After receiving the initial phone call, Sherri called her sister in Texas to ask for prayer.  Sherri had to collect herself and break the news to the kids when she picked them up from school.  Upon hearing the news, Landon asked how far away his dad was and what time did he need to leave there in order to make the graduation on time.  Then he said, “I want to go to the car and pray now.  Dad will be at my graduation.”  Sherri didn’t have the heart to correct him and sent him on his way.  Mary responded similarly as she began texting her friends to start a prayer chain for her dad.  The kids didn’t want to accept the fact that their dad would be in jail for a few days at best.

            After convincing the policeman that Mike was really sick, he allowed Stan to go to the hospital before going to the police station.  The plan was to determine the condition of the young man and proceed from there.  The police wanted to drive Stan in the police truck but finally agreed to let Stan drive his own van with the policemen sitting in the seat behind him.  Stan recalls, “Because the hospital was about a 30-minute drive away, I purposely drove slowly to the hospital hoping my ‘connections’ would beat me there.  We talked about the policeman’s family.  I pleaded with him to tell his kids to look both ways before crossing the street.  I talked about the Lord and how we never know when it is our turn to leave this earth.  Throughout this time, I also made and received numerous calls trying to get help.”

            At the hospital, Stan asked the doctor how the young man was, and the doctor responded, “Not good,” and shook his head very gravely.  Stan asked the police to show him the young man and asked if he could pray with him.  With their permission, he walked over to the bed and said, “I’m really sorry for what happened, but I braked and there was nothing that I could do.  I’m a pastor and believe that Jesus Christ heals people.  Would you like me to pray for you?”

            A wonderful thing about the people in Ecuador is that they have a fear of God that doesn’t exist in many places in the States or the Western world.  Instead of distrusting Stan, he simple said, “Yes.”  Stan asked him where he hurt.  He said his head and back.  Stan prayed, “Lord, we are in a crisis and we need Your help.”  Then he specifically asked the Lord to heal his head and back.

            As Stan walked out of the emergency room, he was surprised to hear, “Hola, Stan,” because the name “Stan” is a hard name to say in Spanish.  The stranger continued, “I’m Freddy and a Christian.  What do you need?”  Earlier Stan had talked to Pastor Rodrigo, one of our pastors from Quito, and Rodrigo told Stan that a Christian brother was on his way to the hospital.  Stan was amazed how quickly the stranger arrived.  Then, almost immediately, a dignified man walked up to him and said, “Good afternoon, Stan.”  He was the Colonel of the Firefighters in Latacunga and another Christian that God had sent to help.

            Shortly thereafter, Stan received the news that there didn’t appear to be anything wrong with the young man who earlier went flying through the air and rolled on the concrete before passing out.  They needed to wait for a few more tests.  After another 45 minutes, the doctor certified that nothing was wrong with the patient; however, he recommended that Stan pay him one day’s work as recompense.  Stan happily paid the young man for a whole week.  Then the police gave Stan back his license and vehicle registration.  Stan thanked them and his new Christian brothers.

The number of miracles God performed that day were staggering.  Stan never made it to the police station—no booking, no jail time, and no fines.  Even more miraculously, the young man fully recovered within about two hours’ time.  When Stan and Mike were on their way back to Quito, they saw a rainbow.  Mike reminded Stan that it is a symbol that God always keeps his promises.  Landon’s faith statement came true:  they arrived at the graduation just minutes before the ceremony began.  God’s faithfulness endures forever.  Amen.